Mario Kart 9 reportedly in development, may feature ‘new twist’

Could the rumors be true?

Mario Kart is one of the most beloved gaming franchises of all time, even to those who don’t consider themselves “gamers.” The series has a rich history, going all the way back to 1992 with Super Mario Kart, so naturally the game has had to reinvent itself a few times. We’ve had the two-character carts that were introduced in Double Dash, bikes that came in during the Mario Kart Wii era, and most recently, the anti-gravity sections in Mario Kart 8. It sounds like we might be looking at yet another reimagining of the classic racing mechanics, because industry analyst Dr. Serkan Toto recently stated that Mario Kart 9 is currently in development, and moreover, may include a “new twist.”

Fans have been celebrating the alleged confirmation of the sequel’s mere existence online, but many have already begun speculation on just what this new twist could be. Theories have already started cropping up on Twitter that it might be a Formula 1-themed addition, likely due to the sport’s more mainstream popularity this year after the release of the Netflix documentary series Formula One: Drive to Survive.

On the other hand, some fans aren’t so sure that Nintendo would be ready for another mainline entry to the series quite yet, as Mario Kart 8 has continued to sell exceptionally well on the Switch. Toto himself acknowledged the game’s sales numbers, which surpassed 40 million combined units last April, making it the best-selling game in the series.

While it’s easy to get excited about Mario Kart 9 and the future of the series, we kind of have to take all this news with a grain of salt — after all, there hasn’t been any official statement from Nintendo as of yet. It is fun to speculate, though, because it’s pretty likely that the series will continue to evolve to stay fresh. Just look at the changes we’ve seen from the Mario Party series in recent years.

So, what do you think this twist could be, assuming that it is indeed in the works? How would you like to see a new spin on the classic mechanics? Let’s discuss below.